I
am a fifteen-year-old sophomore
doing research on rape as a
topic for a school project.
I am interested in any other
information you could offer
concerning this subject. Thank
You, Andi

Thanks
for your note to Feminist.com--and
for taking the time to "educate"
your sophomore class on the
topic of rape. In an ideal world,
I wish we could spend our school
projects on more celebratory
things, but given the prevalence
of things such as rape this
is where we should be putting
our energies. Education is the
first step toward positive results
and empowerment, so thanks for
encourage other steps. That
said, here are some things you
should know:

"Somewhere
in America a woman or girl is
raped every 2 minutes." by National
Crime Victimization Survey,
Bureau of Justice, 1996.

"In
1995, 354,670 women were victims
of rape or sexual assault."
by National Crime Victimization
Survey, Bureau of Justice,
1996.

"Approximately
28% of victims are raped by
their husbands or boyfriends,
35% by acquaintances, and
5% by other relatives." by
Violence Against Women
Bureau, Bureau of Justice
Statistics.

"The
FBI estimates that only 37%
of rapes are reported to the
police."

"A
majority of rape service agencies
believe that public education
about rape and expanded counseling
and advocacy services for
rape victims would be effective
in increasing the willingness
of victims to report rapes
to the police."

"One
of every four reported rapes
takes place in a public area
or in a parking garage."

Organizations
to contact for more information:

National
Clearinghouse on Marital and
Date Rape, which is a
clearinghouse running campaigns
to change customs, pollicies,
behaviors and laws. To learn more contact: [email protected]